What I have been busy with....

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Breaking Dawn!

Last night my MIL, my oldest two and myself had a GNO and went to see Breaking Dawn! It has been SOOOOOO long since I read the books, I had forgotten so much. I am thinking I need to break them back out and reread them all especially the last one since I think I must have skipped some in that one. The movie was ok, I am ready for part 2. I ate enough popcorn to last me a year, but c'mon, who can resist when you can butter your own and they have all these fabulous seasonings for you to use!!


I think I will make a resolution after the new year to see at least one movie a month! Oh and diet to make sure I don't gain unwanted pounds from all the popcorn, candy and coke that are must haves in the theater! ;-)

Here are the girls all ready to see the movie!

Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We went to Chattanooga to visit with my husband's family. It was a fun day with LOTS of good food and company. I was blessed to marry into such a wonderful family and I am thankful for them every day! My oldest 2 were were at their dad's so they did not get to join us which was a bummer but it means they will be at home for Christmas, since we switch out holidays. Emma came home and wrote us a sweet letter to tell everyone what she was thankful for and when I can figure out how to make my scanner work, I will scan it in for you all to read. It made me happy and it made me realize that she is thankful for each of us, even if she doesn't always show it.. ;-) I am thankful for so much and that is wonderful itself to have so much to be thankful for. I am thankful for my husband, he has a heart like no one I have ever known. He is right BESIDE me everyday and I am so lucky he came into my life. I am thankful for my daughters, even though one is a hormonal teenager, one has a bad case of "middle child syndrome", and one who's favorite word is "no".. ;-) They each have a special place in my heart and I am thankful to be their mom. I am thankful for my sweet mother-in-law and the fact that she gets up at 6am during the week to be here for our kids to get on the bus and so Riley can sleep. I pass a daycare on my way to work and I see mom's and dad's taking their little ones in and I am so thankful that she comes to my home and watches them and I don't have to worry while I am at work. I am thankful for my Memaw, who makes me laugh and has been here for me like a mother since my parents passed away. I am thankful for wonderful friends and other family. I am thankful for our jobs which allow my husband and I to provide for our family. I am thankful for so many things that I did not list because this blog could go on and on. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families as well!! :-)

Riley playing dress up in her Aunt Angie's closet

Such a big girl
Riley looking for something to get into!
Riley giving MiMi loving.
That blur would be Riley swinging..One of her favorite pastimes with her daddy
She loved the scarecrows..

My sweet family minus two

Riley learning how to play the drums with her Uncle David

I can breathe now! ;-)

Soooo I have been MIA for AWHILE now!! I have been working feverishly @ my small business for an event today! Back in September, one of my great friends decided to do a Holiday shopping event in our city and she twisted my arm asked me to co-sponsor with her to see how it would go!! We started with about 5 vendors, a decent location and one over-powering vendor that wanted to run the show.. We worked with that for awhile before deciding to break ties with that individual who had the location. Here we were with a big VISION, but now NO LOCATION and no idea on whether to add more vendors or not seeing as we didn't know if we would end up in my living room! My co-sponsor and wonderful friend ended up snagging us a LARGE commercial location and we went from having 5 vendors to needing to triple that number and in less than 2 weeks from the actual event date!!! Talk about STRESS!!!!!!!! Today all that stress came to an end and our vision became a reality! We pulled off our event with no issues (other than me forgetting to use my camera to take pics of everything) :-( It was LOTS of fun with some great girls and it was so nice to see everyone make new friends and promote each other. I was blessed with such an awesome team for the day! They all did great!! It is nice to get to get together and promote your business but its WONDERFUL to get together with people you LOVE to work with! Here are some pics our Tupperware vendor captured of some of the tables. We had 14 vendors in the end..So I am still waiting on some pics from some of the other ladies. I brought my huge camera and all of its extras and didn't have time to use it! :-(

I will be back blogging soon! I have missed you all and can't wait to catch up on your posts!!

"Think about it Thursday"

My husband posted this photo on facebook and I found it very interesting...

Here is what he had to say.

I don't know how I feel about this. I'm super pumped because I never have to get quarters for the air machine again. Cool and convenient. But there was a moment of "whoa, are we really that dependent on the cards?". I haven't put a ton of thought into it but it was a weird combination of thought and emotion. It's like we gain and we lose somehow. This simple device has made me back out of my daily routine and wonder about the future and where the world is headed. For some reason I suddenly can't stop wondering what the future will be for our children. This is just a weird ramble but it's really funny how something so little can really throw u into a totally different thought process. I advocate that everyone look at something they see everyday and try to think about it for 15 min. I think that process may be good for all of us.

Thank you to my hubby for being my "guest blogger" today.. ;-)

Homecoming.. Oh to be a kid again.. :)

Tonight was Homecoming for my oldest baby girl. I rushed home from work and did her hair and makeup. Thank gosh for my wonderful mother in law who hot rolled her hair before I got here so it would have time to curl. She looked so grown when she got ready to go. I walked her in and she saw lots of friends and of course I was THAT mom that made her pose and have her picture made 4533739 times. :-) She is such a sweet young lady and it made me proud to see ALL of her friends and that my daughter is friends with almost everyone there. As she waited outside with the million other kids for moms or dads to pick them up, she was talking to a little girl that had lost all of her hair. When she got in the car, I asked "Brooke, who was the girl that you were talking too?" She said to me " Thats Daniella, mom. I said "Is she sick?" Knowing the answer but wanting to get a feel of how my daughter felt. She said back to me " Yea, she has leukemia, but it's no big deal". :-) I had to fight back tears when I saw my daughter right beside that sweet girl and telling me in her own way, that there was NO difference in her or any other girl at the dance. I love love love my daughter's sweet spirit. She might drive me CRAZY from time to time, but I am so proud to be her mom! :)

Latest going ons.. :-)

This is a hodgepodge kinda post. It's been busy around here so I thought I would fill you all in on just some of the fun things we have been up too!

Big news around our house. The baby is now walking!!!! :-). I wondered when I would be able to post that! Lol. She has been walking for a little while now. She started in July around the time she turned 17 months old. I thought that girl would NEVER walk. She finally figured out that she should try it when I put a stop to my oldest two picking her up. They had to ask for permission to pick her up and once that slacked off, I think the babe finally figured out she was gonna have to do it herself. Now she is all over and I'm loving it. I can put her down in public and not have to worry about her touching the floor for the most part. It's a new sense of independence but it's a good thing. :-)

I am looking forward to my husband being more than halfway thru his work travel for this quarter. He has been gone on 4 trips since august and he has to go in 2 more in the next month. It's been hard not having him home. He helps alot around the house. More than he knows really. He's lots of help with homework and even cooking dinner. We have recently had a few break ins/ home invasions in our area. We live in a suburb outside of a big city, We are in a very nice area with great schools and the LAST place you would ever expect to have to worry about things like that but I guess you never know. We recently had a full security system installed and I have peace of mind now with my hubby being in and out so much. I can log on to my cell phone and view the camera surveillance at any time which has proved to be quite amusing at times. :-) I can set it at night and not worry about a thing. It has definitely proved to be well worth the cost just for the stress relief.

I celebrated my 33rd birthday earlier this month. I slept late (my birthday fell on Thursday which = my off day) I had phone calls from work with my bosses singing happy birthday and tons of texts to wish me a wonderful day. I had lunch with my 9 yr old at school and spent the rest of the day relaxing. I got some great "grown up" toys. Like my new Rachel Ray cookware, a clothes steamer, some fabulous new canisters from Dilliards that I have been eyeing for 6 months and my treat to myself was plates to match my canisters to go on my plate rack for decoration. :-). We went to my favorite Mexican restaurant to eat dinner and NO there are no pics of me in a sombrero anywhere. I threatened anyone that even thought about mentioning my birthday to the wait staff. :-). It was great!




My oldest daughter was in a pageant a few weeks ago and WON! Yes WON in her division plus got Miss Photogenic as well. I was one proud mom, I have to say. I was in pageants my entire childhood and preteen years. I did school pageants almost every year, did commercials for several formal wear stores and even did a Miss Junior America in 1987. In the Miss Jr America pageant, I shared a dressing room with 5 other girls including Tiffani Theissen. (remember Kelly from Saved By The Bell and she also starred as Valerie in Beverly Hills 90210) this was all before her show biz days so I had no idea who I was hanging around and I remember my nerves being so shot, that it probably wouldn't have mattered anyway. :-). I've never pushed my girls to do pageants. I think it was something my mom always loved more than me anyway so it never really interested me much as a mom. I entered my oldest in 2 local pageants and my middle in one and that was it. They both placed each time which made me happy but really made me question what was it all for anyway? Recently my oldest was asked to do a fundraiser pageant and she said she wanted to do it. I had my reservations but I thought "why not?" When she won and you could tell how happy she was, it made my heart swell inside. Maybe little girls or young women in her case, need that little boost every now and then.





Not much else going on around here. I am so super busy with a full time job, a small business and my sweet family that I usually collapse on the couch after a long day and check out the news and emails from the day. I have been bad at blogging but I hope to be better soon. Have a wonderful week everyone. :-)

9/11

Today is 9/11. 10 years ago to the day that our country was attacked. 10 years ago seems like yesterday to me. I remember where I was as I watched it all unfold on television and I remember thinking "what is happening to our country?". I have watched many documentaries in the last week about that day and it amazes me the way our country came together in the wake of all the tragedy. It truly makes me proud to be am American!

Below is a video tribute that I found online... Please be advised of the graphic images in the video.

18 months today!

Today my baby girl is 18 months old! Seems like just yesterday, I was up all night before my induction, crazy nervous, waiting to meet this little one that had been such a long awaited blessing.. :) No longer are the sleepless nights, since she normally sleeps 10-12 hours at night and has since she was 5 months old! Gone are the bottles, we said goodbye to them at her 1 year birthday.. Now we just have to shake the pacifier, which she takes to bed or at the Dr, which it proved to be a lifesaver today! She weighed 24.5 lbs and was 31 1/2in long today at her Dr appt. She is in the 50th percentile for weight and height and perfect all over. :-) I am so thankful she is healthy and happy (other than the occasional stubbornness that comes with the sudden independence she has acquired recently.) Happy 1 1/2 birthday sweet Riley Claire, I am proud to be your mommy!

update!

It has been a busy month around here. We have had 3 birthdays in our house, back to school and of course in the middle of all that, I decide to do an open house for my Thirty One business. I recently started networking with some friends that do Scentsy and Mary Kay and we all got together and did an open house last weekend. I think the turnout was good and we were happy to be able to meet each other's customers and introduce our products. I am determined to make my business grow now that I have been playing with it for a year. It is time to get on the ball!!

School is back in full swing and I have to say I could not be happier! :) I love the routine of school and knowing it brings on wonderful things such as college football, falling leaves, holidays and COOLER weather! :-) Really ready for that last one!

The girls seemed to be settling into thier new school year well. My pocketbook is trying to adjust to all the shock of the back to school stuff as well. I forgot that after you spend $100 on school supplies, you have to then write checks for PTO memberships, school gym bags, lockers, planners and such. WHEW! This too shall pass....

I have had a bit of blogger's block recently. I never want to post just to post. I want to have something interesting and intelligent to say everytime I get on here, but I am just not very interesting or feeling very intelligent these days! lol. This too shall pass....or so I hope.... ;-)

I wanted to post some pics of the girl's 1st day of school, but of course, Itunes needed to update when I plugged in my phone. Oh well.. time for bed.. I have a 1/2 day of work tomorrow and then it is off to take Riley to the pediatrician for her 18 month checkup! :-) Night everyone!

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda.

My super fun friend Bridget did this fun post and I thought I would join in on the awesomeness.. :-) Check out her blog by clicking HERE ....

I can't.

1. Make fried eggs. I tried this week and though the yolk was runny (which is right, I think) the white was overcooked I think. My poor middle child ate them with a smile since she requested them and she knew it was my first time to make them. She def did not ask for a second though

2. Stand to walk on a dirty floor barefoot. It makes me cringe to walk across the garage floor without shoes. YUCK!!!!!

3.Lose the baby weight from our youngest. She will be 18 months old on the 24th.. I gotta get my tail in gear.

4.Go a day without surfing through craigslist. I'm addicted. It's bad.

I can

1.Read blogs and Facebook for hours if I'm not careful! Time gets away from you and fast. Wish I could make time @ work fly like that.

2.Make a yummy pumpkin cake. Can't wait to get out the recipe this fall.

3. Play a mean Words with friends game. :-)

4. Survive on 4-5 hrs of sleep but I need a nap on my off days for sure.

I won't.

1. Go a day without my iPad or iPhone. They go everywhere with me.

2.Eat Brussels sprouts. Ick!!!

3. Complain about how my daughters spend their birthday money. Even when they buy silly things like candy or cheap toys that will be lost by the days end.

4. Have another yard sale ever (for a very long time) they are LOTS of work and it's too hot in the south right now to be out there. You have sweat pooling in places you don't even want to speak of AND no one wants that!!!!

I will

1. Make a chore chart for my kids this week. It's time they start earning their keep round here.

2. Be planted on my couch in a few short hours to watch Big Brother and RHONJ. love Sunday nights!

3. Miss my hubby this week as he goes away for business for a few days.

4. Finish the latest book I bought. It has not been as good as I had hoped but I HAVE to finish it so I can buy another. :)

I shouldn't

1. Take on more than I can handle but for some reason I always do.

2. Be worried of others opinions of me.

3. Have a headache right now!!!!

4. Be dreading work tomorrow, but I am!!

I should.

1. Make supper but I think it's gonna be a McDonalds night instead.

2. Forgive others who have wronged me.

3. Make reservations for our mini family vacation but I'm too obsessed with watching the hotel prices change on Priceline.

4. Finish this post so I can pretend I've been busy while my hubby has napped instead of playing on my iPad. :)

My latest obsession!!!

Look what we bought today for the babies room!!!!! I have always like the "antique" look but never thought of owning a piece. Something about it interests me. I love the thought of the journey it has taken through time and the memories these items hold. I am proud to say I am not the owner of my very FIRST antique piece.. :-) Yes, I believe I am now addicted! :-) The dresser is a pale pink color with drawers lined with a flower fabric. The date on it is 1925.... :) :) :) I can't wait to get it all set up in Riley's room. Off to make room for it now!!!

Back in the day...

Back in the days when I was young, I'm not a kid anymore

But somedays I sit and wish I was a kid again..

(Back in the day by Ahmad-1994)

We are going back..waaaaaaaaaaaaay back, back into time.... :-)

Who remembers THESE wonderful toys when you were a little. I personally had ALL of these pictured below. I thought I was COLORFORM cool.. There was nothing as hype as these little sets back in the day! You know DS's, Wii's, Ipods were not even thought of back then and we had to play with REAL toys. Ones that didn't require batteries. I was trying to tell my husband about them the other day and it got me to thinking about how much I loved playing with these things, they went every where I went and I played with them until the sticky on the back was all out of sticky.

I was also OBSESSED with collecting the California raisins figurines and Pound puppies.. Yep, I heard you snicker.

Back in the day, I used to have posters of super cute boys on my wall. I remember my FAV was one of Ralph Macchio.. I was also pretty dog gone crazy about this certain BOY BAND...

I had a phone like THIS in my room... Yea no super schmancy touch screens back in the OLDEN days..

I loved to watch Inspector Gadget and Jem & the Holograms while getting ready for school and I had a Shoney's Big Boy bank to store all my loot.... :-)

I rode a banana seat bike like I was a cool kid :-) Pretty sure it wouldn't fly as hip nowadays..

Some of my favorite movies were...

I was in love with Eric Stoltz and wanted to be "Miss Amanda Jones" (Lea Thompson) in the movie Some Kind of Wonderful. I remember the leech scene from Stand by Me and laughing hysterically. Here is a clip from the Goonies that still makes me crack up!!

Hope you all enjoyed my BLAST from the PAST.. I know I did... ;-)